Prescribing seating for cognitively impaired users: exploring the risks
When prescribing seating, our aim is to meet the needs of the service user by prescribing a chair that will provide the right level of support, enable safe, easier assisted or independent transfers, reduce risk of pressure injuries and enable them to obtain and maintain a good sitting posture in the provided chair. However when a service user has a cognitive impairment and has poor risk awareness, additional risks are present. In this session we aim to outline some of these possible additional risks and how to overcome them to ensure the service user and their carers/family remain as safe as possible when the service user is seated in a chair that is there to meet their needs.
Learning Outcomes
- To outline clinical reasoning for chair provision to a variety of service users
- To increase awareness of risks to users with cognitive impairments/poor risk awareness when assessing and providing specialist seating.
- To out line some of the risk factors and interventions that can reduce risk to service users.
Meet our Experts
Jenny is a senior occupational therapist. She qualified in 1997 and completed her MSc in Neuro-rehabilitation in 2007. She has worked in Neurological Rehabilitation at the Battle Hospital in Reading, and the Rivermead Rehabilitation Centre in Oxford which became part of the Oxford Centre for Enablement in 2000. She moved into the Specialist Disability Service at the OCE from where she joined the Oxford MND Centre in January 2007.
Since August 2009 Jenny has been funded full-time by the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association to develop NHS wheelchair services across the UK, to improve wheelchair provision for people living with MND.
Since qualifying in 2006, Debra has worked as an occupational therapist in both community and in-patient environments. After three years on a mixed NHS and social care rotation, Debra moved to Brent local authority, where she worked for 5 years. In 2014 Debra split her role between managing her own caseload in the private sector and Barnet local authority’s equipment provision service. Debra now runs our seating assessment training programme.
People who watched this also watched...
You Matter! exploring wellbeing for health and social care professionals
This webinar will focus on the value of personal and professional self-care, provide practical tips for techniques and strategies that can be used both in and out of work to promote good wellbeing and offer a safe setting for time for reflection.
Tissue Viability - What OTs need to know and how they can help
This 4-part webinar series explores the complexities of preventing and managing pressure ulcers in community settings, covering topics such as skin care, patient decision-making and the critical roles of nutrition, hydration and posture.
How to choose a pressure cushion for seating
Selecting the right pressure cushion is essential for maintaining comfort, promoting healthy posture, and preventing pressure injuries for individuals who spend extended periods sitting. This webinar provides a practical, evidence-informed guide to understanding different types of pressure cushions, how they work, and how to match them to individual needs. Participants will learn to assess key factors such as mobility levels, posture, risk of skin breakdown, and daily routines.